Game night

I was going to take a quiet night and read, but after dinner, Chris randomly started dealing cards. We played a hand of garbage cards with no real objective, then decided we should get around to one of the card games we've had sitting on the shelf forever. We've been meaning to try both Quao, by Wiggity Bang, and Gubs, by Gamewright.

We broke out Quao first, and let me just say this: it's rated teen to adult on the box, and you can have a lot of fun with it with your older-but-less-than-teenaged kids as a family game - but I bet it's a lot more fun as an adults only party game. Either way, it's silly, almost ridiculous fun, and in the right crowd, I can see it getting a little raunchy.

After one full game of Quao, which D won, he was a little burnt out on cards, so Chris and I decided to tackle the slightly more complicated Gubs. It's rules-heavy and the first read-through was a little daunting, but once we got into playing, it wasn't especially difficult. It's a lot of fun and involves a little more strategy and planning than other games, and as luck would have it, we nearly ran all the way through the deck on our first playthrough (the length of the game is randomized by marker cards in the deck, and we hit the last marker on the penultimate card).

As game nights go, I don't know that I'd recommend these two games in combination, but I'd recommend Quao for lighthearted, wacky party fun, while I'd recommend Gubs for a quieter, more serious but still intense good time.

If I knew then...

Warning: spoilers ahead if you somehow haven't seen Big.

We've all thought it. But I was listening to Big: the Musical last night, and I've been considering something that's always bothered me about that story: how do you just go back?

I mean, really, how do you live with an adult's authority and autonomy and experience an adult relationship and then... just live with 13 and middle/high school drama and parental authority and everything that comes with that?

I mean, I guess I see it, in some ways. You go back to the freedom of no bills and no decisions, you go back to another x years with your parents or grandparents or both around... There's a lot to gain, and your losses are temporary. And you go back to do it all with a bank of adult experience and knowledge, a huge advantage. But you're also set apart, aren't you? Isn't it hard to be the odd one out, the only teenager with your experiences?

I don't know, man. Maybe if I could do it all from then, I should, but would I? Probably not. And if I'd grown up suddenly then, would I go back? That's harder, but I still don't know.

Flaring

I have Fibromyalgia. This involves sometimes near-crippling pain, fatigue, and other associated syndromes affecting my stomach and bowels and basically everything about the way I function. I have trouble some days staying awake on my feet or functioning through pain despite a great deal of prophylactic medication and a smaller amount of breakthrough medication for the worse times.

Well, I'm trying to do what's right. Exercise, they say, improves the condition of patients, and I'm in the gym at least a few days a week on top of my physically demanding job. I try to keep my diet reasonable; though I admit it hasn't been ideal, we don't really buy much junk for the house, so I'm hardly living on junk food, either.  But I'm near collapse with a full-on symptom flare lately. I often can't get out of the car by myself. I have to lighten up at the gym where I was improving. Sometimes I can't lift my bag.

I work hard at not letting this take over my life, but sometimes... It feels like it does anyway.

Productive?

Today was a pretty good day. It was errand-running day, so I had a lot to do, and I still got home by one and started doing petty chores. On top of getting the shopping done and the prescriptions picked up, I got my purse totally organized and some things put away, so I feel a little more put together than I usually do. I even got my new books that I won on a Reddit raffle and got those put away. Maybe tonight I can continue on my organized streak and do some laundry and some programming work!

Or maybe I'll just eat and watch The Candidate. Or some combination of those things. 

It's weird how certain small acts can turn our whole perspectives around, though, isn't it? An organized purse and a full pantry are two things that make me feel really good about life no matter what else is going on. I may be ready to lose my shirt, but dangit, I'll go down with a full belly and an organized satchel.